The hurricane causes floods, river flooding and landslides in eastern Cuba
The hurricane Melissacategory 3 (out of 5) on the Saffir-Simpson scale, is causing floods, river flooding and landslides in the east of the island, according to preliminary official information.
The first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) in Santiago de Cuba, has reported on the rescue efforts of a group of 17 relatives, including “children and the elderly”, in a house in the town of El Cobre (in the east of the island), who had been trapped.
In the city of Santiago de Cuba itself, the second most populated municipality in Cuba, flooding has been recorded in multiple areas, such as Avenida Patria, Plaza de la Revolución, the oil factory and Avenida de las Américas, according to different sources.
The Cuban president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, has asked the population for responsibility and caution, and has warned that this “will be a very difficult night” for the entire country.
According to the Meteorological Institute (Insmet) of Cuba, Melissa is crossing eastern Cuba from south to north with maximum sustained winds of 193 kilometers per hour and leaving intense rainfall, which can reach accumulations of 450 millimeters (or liters per square meter) in some points.
The hurricane made landfall at 3:10 a.m. local time (8:10 a.m. in mainland Spain) in the municipality of Chivirico (east) and is currently moving at about 35 kilometers per hour.
After six or eight hours on land, the forecast estimates that Melissa will go out to sea in the municipality of Banes (northeast), although its effects will continue to be felt in Cuba for another eight or ten hours. (Efe)
For more updates, visit our homepage: NewsTimesWire
